Shy creatures A novel

The arrival of a mysterious recluse at a British psychiatric hospital unlocks secrets from the past and sets in motion possibilities for the future. In 1964, Britain has not yet been reinvigorated by the youth revolution or the "Beatles phenomenon," and many of its people are still marked by their World War II experiences; this is a stifling world of good manners, bad food, and limited opportunities for women. Thirty-four-year-old Helen Hansford, however, has cracked the mold by choosing to work as an art therapist in Westbury Park, a psychiatric hospital, where she has met and begun a consuming affair with charismatic, married doctor Gil Rudden. An unusual patient, William Tapping, 37, arrives at the hospital; he doesn't speak and hasn't left his house in decades. His last living relative having died, Westbury Park becomes William's home, a refuge where he can practice his considerable creative skills in Helen's art class. At this point, the narration opens up to intersperse Helen's story with chapters from William's perspective, slowly revealing the reasons for his isolation, withdrawal, and silence. In fastidious prose well suited to the novel's period setting, Chambers traces William's story back in time while advancing Helen's growing difficulties with Gil and efforts to aid her struggling niece, Lorraine, now also a patient. While evocative of a buttoned-up time, the novel's consciously understated tone (bad things are referred to as "unpleasantness") muffles the few dramatic moments. More persuasive is the mood, redolent of post-war adjustments, and Chambers' quiet but precise observations of circumstance (often drab), options, and individuals. Despite some two-dimensional minor characters, this is a finely detailed and modulated work, based on true events, that looks benignly on its characters and their trajectories. A composed period piece that pays sharp attention to the little things. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.